When 20-year-old Kara Bennett moves to Boston to escape her post-high school drama with her daughter, she didn't expect to fall straight into it in the form of Austin Mayer.
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All Kara Bennett...
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FRIDAYS WERE THE MOST HECTIC DAY OF THE WEEK.
Even in the morning, there was a long line for our special vegan sandwiches and grinders. Keeping track of orders wasn't the easiest task when a line of impatient, half sleepy customers demanded quick service. I sometimes wanted to ask them what was so urgent. They were probably heading to work or college, and if they were late, it was because they didn't wake up earlier. It had nothing to do with my service. However, since I wanted to keep this job, I plastered a generic smile on my face, greeted every single one of them with the same feigned cheer like they were the most beautiful thing I'd seen this morning, and rushed my way to deliver as quickly as possible.
When it started getting hot, I did a high ponytail with my scrunchy around my wrist. Taking another order, I eyed the line: there were still five more. I let out a sigh, shouting the orders at the kitchen, and gave the change.
"I'll treat you to a frappe after this madness," Sarah muttered, leaning close to me.
Her offer made me grin. "Strawberry, please."
When I turned to look at the next customer, it was surprising to see Austin's girl beaming at me. She hadn't been around for two weeks at all. I read Caroline Stewart on her name tag and tilted my gaze up to her. "Hey," she said. "I want a veggie sub."
I yelled for her order. "Anything else?" She shook her head. "Six bucks." She nodded, fishing in her bag to find her purse. I leaned against the counter, shooting a look at Sarah. She pressed her lips together not to laugh. Find your wallet before you order, idiot. Then Caroline finally pulled out her wallet and handed me ten bucks.
"Keep the change," she said with a smile and fell a few steps back to wait for her order. When I met Sarah's gaze, I knew what she was thinking: a generous chick. For some of us, those four bucks meant more than a change.
When the line dulled, Sarah kept her promise. "Cheers," she said, taking a sip of her chocolate frappe. When she shifted closer to me and wrapped her curl around her index finger, I figured she was about to tell me something, but she was nervous. I shot her a questioning look. "That guy texted me last night."
"What guy? Nick?" She nodded with a sigh. "What did he say?"
"He wants to meet."
I couldn't see what was the negative side of this situation. We met Nick at the park as he was walking Austin's dog—which I later figured out that he was Austin's best friend and walking his dog as he was out of the town for a week—and that day, Sarah was with me. You had to be dumb not to see that he instantly liked her. So, as a good friend I was, I asked Sarah to take Daisy out for a few days and they exchanged numbers and had some small talk.
"What's wrong with this?"
"Oh," she said, sipping on her frappe. "Absolutely nothing. He's a doctor and I'm working here. He has a bright future; I'll spend the rest of my life taking orders and drinking frappe. You could say this is a match made in heaven." I just gave her a long, long stare. "What?"
